How I celebrate this October day...

I was raised in a home where October 31st was a big deal.

My mother decorated our home for Halloween with as much joy as she did for Christmas, and for one reason only - it was my father's birthday. In all innocence, mother and their friends celebrated his birthday in grand Halloween style. 

If my father were alive today, he would be 92. The last birthday we celebrated with him was on October 31, 1999 - five weeks before he went to be with the Lord. It was probably his only birthday in my parents' 51 year marriage that did not include ghosts and goblins, black cats and spider webs, silly costumes and my mother. 

Mother was in the hospital with rapidly deteriorating health and my father was in a nursing home with dementia and severe emphysema. Even in his dementia, he knew that something was amiss, but it wasn't the ambiance of Halloween. What he missed was my mother - the woman he knew he loved, though he didn't always remember he was married to her.

In the short time my father was in the nursing home before his passing, he once asked mother for her phone number so he could call to ask her out. Another time he told one of the nurses that I was his daughter, but when the nurse asked if my mother, who was sitting in a wheelchair next to him, was his wife, he answered, "No. I'm not married." 

My father may have forgotten that mother was his wife, but he never forgot that he loved her. While mother was a patient in the rehab section of the same nursing facility, he wheeled over to her room to see her and fought with her roommate when she tried to keep him out by blocking the entrance to the room. {A nursing home must sometimes resemble a preschool.}

"She doesn't feel well today," we told him when he asked on his birthday as we gathered around him at a table in the nursing home's conference room. "This piece is for your mother," he announced - pointing to one half of his large birthday cake after cutting it in two.  

My mother and father were not perfect in their marriage or as parents. Neither are we - far from it. There's always the temptation to pass the blame for my own failures on to theirs, but I choose to honor the way they lived and loved the best they knew how - because grace filled the gaps, large and small, and love covers a multitude of sins. 

In his series on the Ten Commandments, our pastor taught that there's no age or time limit on honoring our fathers and mothers. It's a commandment for all ages, for all time.

As I count God's good gifts with Ann in a grateful community, I want to honor my earthly father on what would be his birthday. I remember and celebrate the gift of this October day, thankful for... 

...the grace of God displayed on the cross of Christ - grace that saved my father and a wretch like me
...the hope of heaven and a father who waits for me there
...a father who unquestionably loved my mother 
...the inspiration of my father's creative bent - though he rarely felt confident to reveal his giftedness
...my father's example of humility and compassion for the least of these
...a father who loved his church and friends
...a father who was gifted in math and cheerfully did our taxes each year
...a father who grew in his love for the Lord and God's Word, even as his dementia progressed

How are you celebrating this October day? I'd really love to know.

{Photos} my parents, my grandmothers, me and my baby brother, Easter 1953.   

Weekend wanderings...

Weekends {are for} Wanderings on Pollywog Creek 

...looking back and catching up

It's an odd assortment of photos, I know. I wanted to post a few more insect macros, but out of respect for my insect phobic friends (love you, Allie), I decided to keep them to myself. I simply couldn't resist showing y'all that spider mama and her gazillian babies. She'd nested in one of the azaleas by my backyard swing and I watched her egg for days before finding all those babies one morning.  

I caught a glimpse of that lovely hawk as he flew into a pine tree between the house and creek, but I knew I'd likely have to be content with taking a blurry photo through the porch screen. As I suspected, when I opened the porch door in hopes of capturing a clearer picture, off he flew - the brittle limb where he'd perched falling in pieces after him.  

Twice this week I spotted a hummingbird circling 'round the flame bush, stopping momentarily to sip nectar from those blazing orange flower heads, but I was much too far away to take a photo. Still. I was thrilled. Though I've delighted in the flame bush's stunning colors, we planted that bush nearly two years ago to attract hummingbirds and it finally happened. 

Last weekend was sunny and cool and absolutely perfect for those family birthday celebrations I mentioned. We partied at my brother's lovely lake home for my niece's son's second birthday, and then returned home to attend a party for Nick's in-laws, who celebrated birthdays a few years past two. It was all grand fun, plenty of laughter and chocolate cake.

I'd hoped to travel to the west coast for Mason's t-ball game this morning and then take photos for our church's "Candy Carnival" tonight, but with flaring joints (not to mention the heavy rains), I'm resting at home with a heating pad on my wrists and the anticipation of watching college football while indulging in Emily's awesome college-football-viewing snacks.

Did I mention that Louis and I are celebrating our 35th today? Only by the grace of God, I tell you. Only by the grace of God. It's a story I love to tell, if you want to know more or see me in my wedding dress.

I'd love to know what you are doing with the gift of this day.

{Photos} 'round about Pollywog Creek and a celebrating life collage - don't you just love Gavin's head popping up in that last frame?

The fair flowers of grace...

"I must try and cultivate an eye for life's mercies... And life, while it has its ugly swamps, its vile weeds, and its sharp thorns,has always its fair flowers to charm the eye with their beauty, or to fill the air with their fragrance..." ~ Rev. John Flowers Serjeant, 1878

It's my Pollywog Creek motto - to cultivate an eye for life's mercies, but sometimes that Pollyanna attitude of gratitude can be hard to hold onto when ugly swamps, vile weeds, and sharp thorns prevail.

Ann calls it the hard thanks - the hard eucharisteo - counting the gifts in the muddy bog of affliction. Paul called it a boasting in weakness for the sake of Christ. Ann knows and Paul knew - it's grace. 

Gratitude and contentment "with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities" is not a resignation in defeat or a lack of faith, but an acknowledgement that the fair flowers of grace are sufficient amid the thorns.

And when the sharp thorns of chronic illness dig deep, I press on with joy, comforted in the knowledge that He promises for the sake of Christ, that when I am weak that He is strong.

This is my comfort in my affliction,
that your promise gives me life.
~ Psalm 119:50



{Photos} a tiny monk orchid - growing wild under an oak tree on Pollywog Creek

Having "been in the battle"...

"The night racks my bones, and the pain that gnaws me takes no rest." Job 30:17

{repost from the fall of 2010 - because it's important to remember}

It's a rare Christian who does not walk through what feels like a "Job season" - when pain and suffering appears to press in on every side.

When my husband was staring down unemployment six years ago, after farming citrus for nearly twenty-five years, it was no coincidence that he was able to join Emily and I in our morning Bible study just as we began reading the Book of Job.

The tragedies Job endured were far worse than any we have ever experienced (and Lord willing, we never will), putting our own pitiful sufferings into perspective, but we related to him none-the-less - momentarily wondering what we did to deserve such a fate while being misunderstood and poorly comforted by those we thought were friends.

I've recently picked up Amy Carmichael's Rose from Brier, and while I'm too early in the reading to recommend it as yet, I've appreciated Amy's perspective. It is through her own lens of chronic pain and suffering that she offers hope and encouragement - comforting others with the comfort with which she has been comforted. A kind and loving word from any dear soul is a gift, but it is most treasured and encouraging from those who have walked the same path of suffering.

"For no man can tell what in that combat attends us but he that hath been in the battle himself" ~ John Bunyan, Pilgrim's Progress

There's a tension in that for me. I don't like dwelling on past or current woundedness, pain or suffering, and I'm quite sure that others would quickly weary of hearing of them, as well...but if words of hope are to carry much weight, it's important to know that I've "been in the battle".

Physical pain is no stranger. I've been assaulted, in a car accident, broken my leg, had several surgeries - including emergency surgery for a perforated colon, and experience cycles of pain from crohn's disease flares.

For several weeks I've experienced some of the worst joint pains that I can remember - not just my knees, but my shoulders, hands and feet. Getting out of bed, in and out of the car, up and down stairs, dressing and undressing, sitting, standing, walking - there's very little that I am able to do at the moment without pain, and yet it has been a sweet and precious season of walking in the truth that "the joy of the Lord is my strength" - a powerful reality that I could only know in a season of weakness.

How has the Lord been with you in your battle that you might offer hope and comfort to others?  I'd really love to know.

{Photos} pumpkins on my 2011 kitchen counter 

Glimpses...

As I count God's good gifts with Ann in a grateful community this morning, I remain thankful for more than I can possibly list, but as I head out the door with Emily for a morning of appointments and errands, I'm grateful for... 


...family and friends and a weekend of celebrating birthdays
...the family of God spreading a banquet of Truth for our nourishment
...the family of God praying life and hope 
...the family of God offering grace
...God's kindness that leads to repentance
...beautiful weather illuminating God's glory in creation

Or do you presume on the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience,
not knowing that God's kindness is meant to lead you to repentance?
Romans 2:4

{Photos} glimpses of God's glory in creation on Pollywog Creek  

Weekend wanderings...

Weekends {are for} Wanderings on Pollywog Creek 

...looking back and catching up

Much of this past week was clouded by a slowly moving tropical system that pushed back sunlight and dumped inches of rain on Pollywog Creek. When storm clouds parted, cool dry, refreshing air replaced the heavyiness of a lingering south Florida summer and the evidence of those inches of tropical nourishment blazed bright and green. Soul food it was. Satisfying and delicious. And for those of us that tend to frizz, it's been the best hair days ever. 

I mentioned it last weekend, but it's worth repeating. My daughter Emily is participating in the HelloSomebody campaign Hello Rwanda to feed and educate 100 boys now living on the streets. This is one of many worthy opportunities for those of us with more than enough to reach out to the least of these. If you are interested in helping Emily with this campaign, please let me know. We both ordered watches this week and they arrived in the mail just yesterday. Emily's is white (she already had a pink one), and mine is navy blue - perfect for someone like me whose basic wardrobe is centered around blue jeans. 

We're celebrating two different family birthdays in different towns this weekend - all in one day. I'll be wearing my HelloSomebody watch (and blue jeans, of course) and delighting in the lavish gift of family, friends and this beautiful weather. I'd love to know how you are celebrating life this weekend. 

{Photos} wee evidence of a tropical nourishment 

At the center...

With a couple of hours before I needed to keep an appointment in Immokalee, I left Susan's and drove a few miles south to Ave Maria, a new community in SW Florida, I'd longed to see.     

Open in 2007, Ave Maria has an intriguing history that began when Tom Monaghan, the founder of Domino's Pizza, envisioned creating the first major Catholic university in the United States in more than 40 years.

Much like towns in the middle ages, it was determined from the beginning of this university town's development that the Oratory of Ave Maria, soaring more than 100 feet and with a seating capacity of 1100, would be located in the center of the community. The church would be the town's focal point, obvious to visitors from the moment they turned off the highway toward town and the cross atop the church's arched roof stood before them.

As I drove slowly through this pristine, newly landscaped town with little traffic and where only a few people could be seen walking across campus or otherwise moving about, I felt as though I'd entered another world. Not a retreat center, but an entire town of stores, schools and neighborhoods, built around a church.

I'm not Catholic, but the picture of the church at the center of all activity is an awe-inspiring one. It's a visual reminder of the way I am to live with Christ at the center of every thought, decision, and deed. 

For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen
Romans 11:36

A rainy day passage to ponder and proclaim...

“Give ear, O heavens, and I will speak,
and let the earth hear the words of my mouth.
May my teaching drop as the rain,
my speech distill as the dew,
like gentle rain upon the tender grass,
and like showers upon the herb.
For I will proclaim the name of the LORD;
ascribe greatness to our God!
“The Rock, his work is perfect,
for all his ways are justice.
A God of faithfulness and without iniquity,
just and upright is he.
(Deuteronomy 32:1-4 ESV)emphasis mine


{Photos} rain on Pollywog Creek

From Pew-Warmer to Poverty-Fighter...{a book review}

"I saw a group of people who had the same dreams that I did."

Dan King, The Unlikely Missionary 

When Dan King, a self-described "guy with a regular job and a regular family who sits in the regular church pews", began blogging, he could not have envisioned where God was going to take him or how God would use him to inspire others to fulfill God's purposes for their lives.

In his recently released e-book, The Unlikely Missionary: From Pew-Warmer to Poverty-Fighter*, Dan describes his transformation from "an ordinary Christian trying not to be lukewarm" to a man of great compassion for the least of these and desire to help them succeed in overcoming poverty. He tells that story through his journey to Africa with Five Talents International, an organization that fights poverty by providing business training and spiritual development to the poor in developing third world countries.

Dan humbly states that he's not a "powerhouse writer", but his authentic and conversational style makes The Unlikely Missionary a delightful, inspiring and easy read.  Each of the nine short chapters includes interesting stories with samples from his trip journal, and concludes with questions for reflection, further study and writing prompts, making it a valuable resource for bloggers and small group or individual study.

As I read, I underlined and annotated nearly every page. His concluding paragraph in chapter six is one that spoke directly to me as I work to write and edit my photography...

"...we should never think too much of our own creative efforts. Our part is to simply highlight the creativity of the Master Creator."

Dan's book is not a "how to be a missionary" manual. It's the story of a "normal dude" who wants to be used however God chooses, and in the telling of his story, his readers are encouraged to be open to God, as well. 

"You may not end up in Africa like I did. You may end up finding more purpose right at home in your own backyard or your office or your neighborhood or your school district. The location isn't as important as doing the things that will allow God to use you to the fullest." 

The Unlikely Missionary: From Pew-Warmer to Poverty-Fighter can be downloaded for only $4.99 here. 

About Dan King: Christ-follower. Husband. Father. Corporate training development guru. School of ministry and missions instructor. Social media editor for thehighcalling.org. Blogger at bibledude.net. Co-founder and media director for the activistfaith.org movement. Social media director for help end local poverty.

{*Dan King graciously provided a free copy for my review, but the opinions expressed here are my own. All quotes above are attributed to Dan King from The Unlikely Missionary: From Pew-Warmer to Poverty-Fighter}

{Photo} sunlight warming pews in the Belmont University bell tower chapel, 2009, and a small country church in rural south Florida, 2011

Peace and contentment in the quiet...

For several hours this morning since my 4:00 am rising, between loads of laundry and considering the day's tasks, I've stared at the computer screen searching for words. But my mood and thoughts are contemplative and private and I've discerned are best kept to myself. 

As I count God's good gifts with Ann in a grateful community on this lovely, rainy fall morning, I'm thankful for more than I can possibly list. The Father through Christ - from whom all blessings flow - has lavished grace and mercy and love in great measure and I hardly know where to begin - but I will...

...sunlight that clouds cannot contain (a picture, yes, of His light in our clouds)
...an unexpected visit to those we dearly love 
...safety in the travel, towing an old trailer
...strength and endurance for my hurting husband
...soaking rains at the edge of a dry season
...playing wii with Mason and Austin
...every moment I can snatch with Gavin and Addisyn
...children who love the Lord
...the joy of more grandlittles being fearfully and wonderfully made
...a bench moved under the oak tree
...a healing wound
...a sweet surgeon
...pumpkins and apple scented candles
...the friends and readers who bless with kind words of encouragement (every word a treasure)
...contentment and the abundance of simplicity
...peace in the quiet and taming of the tongue

{Photos} sunlight breaking through clouds over sugarcane fields at dawn, two grandlittles that call me mimi, a Caloosahatchee River sunset 

Because some things don't change...

October can be quite the tease here at the subtropical edge of the Big Swamp. More often than not, the nearly imperceptible seasonal changes come not from lower temperatures, but the fewer hours of daylight as the sun shortens her stay each day.

We don't expect to wear sweaters - at least not in the beginning - but we think about taking them out, and shaking off the dust, and hanging one or two within easy reach.

The transition from summer to winter overlaps in layers here - much like our garments. Though we'll bring our winter clothes out of storage, we'll never put our summer clothes away.

October mornings on Pollywog Creek are bringing falling leaves from the sweetgum trees and delightfully cool breezes, but hibiscus are in bloom and sandals on our feet by noon.

{Photos} and post - a repost from October 2010 - because some things don't change. 

Weekend wanderings...

Weekends {are for} Wanderings on Pollywog Creek 

...looking back and catching up

Did y'all think I'd forgotten about "living in yellow"?  Not at all, I've just been living it with no time or energy to write about it. But it's important to me, so I intend to continue - hopefully before we leave fall behind and begin the season of "red and green".

On my list of tasks I'd failed to accomplish last week was a review of Dan King's (BibleDude.net) The Unlikely Missionary. I have time to do that this morning, but it deserves a week day post, so I'll save it for the week to come. In the meantime, I'll tell you that I loved it, so if you are one of the half dozen readers who log in on the weekend and are looking for an inspiring read, you will not be disappointed by purchasing  Dan's ebook.

One of the things Dan encourages in The Unlikely Missionary is for us to recognize that we don't need to leave home and go to Africa to be on mission. My daughter Emily is participating in the HelloSomebody campaign Hello Rwanda to feed and educate 100 boys now living on the streets...

Hello Rwanda Campaign from Hello Somebody on Vimeo.

If you are interested in helping Emily in this campaign by purchasing a HelloSomebody watch or for more information, please either leave a comment here or drop me an email (pollywogcreekporch@gmail.com) and Emily will contact you. 

As I sit in my the living room typing this post, Gavin's overnight bag, a pair shoes, and a backpack are piled on the floor next to me. Gavin's toothpaste and bottle of "Gummies" vitamins are on the counter. He was supposed to stay with me this morning while Kristin went to a large garage sale in Ft. Myers, but at the last minute, he decided he wanted to go with her and THEN come play back to play with mimi. I haven't looked in his overnight bag. For all I know, he's planning to stay a while and that would be perfectly fine with me. 

I'd love to know what you've got planned for your weekend, good friends.

{Photos}a fall morning wandering on Pollywog Creek

Don't ever give up, Mimi...

This time last year most of my days were spent on the east coast helping Casey and Jessi with Mason and Austin - just as rheumatoid arthritis was beginning to flare. This year, with on going physical challenges combined with increasing and fast approaching editorial deadlines, in my worst moments, I sometimes wonder if I should call it quits - if I should give away my cameras and give up my writing assignments. The following post from that season last year on the east coast is a reminder I could use today.

I'm somewhat distracted these days by two of those little boys that call me Mimi. It's a perfectly delightful distraction to have grandchildren under my feet, but for the life of me I don't know how all you young mothers keep up with young children and writing, too. I'm guessing that you must never sleep.

On the other hand, small children are the most amazing source of inspiration. They really do say the darndest things.

My learning curve for all things technical and electronic is a bit longer than most, I think. Remote controllers make me dizzy - just ask Emily. It would be one thing if all households had the same controller, but even that would only help a little. I'm still learning the one at our house (otherwise known as the "dooral"), and we have had satellite TV for two years. The good news for me is that I don't watch much TV anyway.

The "dooral" where I am staying is much more complicated, with options that tangle my brain. Casey has walked me through the steps more than once, but if just one wrong button is pushed, I'm hopelessly lost and that is the end of that - much to Mason's dismay. He jumps up and down, holding his breath that I'll stumble on the right button pushing sequence for him to play Wii. "Don't ever give up, Mimi," he cheers me on - with the self-centered motive you'd expect from a four year old.

He's right though, you know. Don't ever give up.

Greater than the parts...

If you read my facebook, you'd know that on Sunday mornings my status often includes: "Oh how I love the Body of Christ."

It's not just the fellowship and worship that brings me great joy - it's the feeling of being complete. Of appreciating and delighting in the gifts of others - gifts that inspire me to greater love. Gifts that spur me on and cause me to dip deeper. Gifts that unite our hearts in Christ as we make up the Body under His Head and bring glory to His name in ways He has not equipped us to do alone.

If all were a single member, where would the body be?

~ 1 Corinthians 12:19 ESV

Yesterday I was inspired by Troy McCullough, freelance photographer and Wall Street Journal news editor, and his amazing photography and article at High Calling Focus.  Challenged by Claire Burge, a High Calling Focus photo editor, I played with my archived photos to create a couple of layered photos, including the "ghost bus". 

As I browsed through my archives in search of photos to layer, I kept "compare and contrast" in mind. I didn't want to throw two photos together without a bridge to connect their differences. When I saw the photo I'd taken of a busload of migrant farm workers on a rural central Florida 2-lane highway next to the photo of downtown Ft. Myers on Florida's west coast I first noticed how the roads might blend in well together. I loved how the bus and shadow fit right on the downtown road and the poles along the highway blended in with the palm trees. 

Interestingly enough, I had taken both photos on the same day this past spring. I captured the bus photo early one foggy morning as I drove to our rural county's courthouse near Lake Okeechobee for jury duty. It was typically moving at a snail's pace, but I was afraid to pass it in the fog. With nothing else to do, I picked up my camera (which I rarely leave home without) and clicked. Later that afternoon, I headed in the opposite direction to a meeting in downtown Ft. Myers. Why I took and saved that photo is beyond me. It's poorly lit and nothing interesting about the composition, but there it was in my archives just two or three photos past the bus.

By themselves, neither photo is all that spectacular, but layered together, it not only makes an interesting photo, but it's greater than the parts - telling a more complete story of life in SW Florida and of worlds that are otherwise far apart. 

And is that not like the Body of Christ? We are literally and figuratively worlds apart, but layered together - under the headship of Christ - our lives and stories and gifts are complete. 

Have you come to love and appreciate the gifts and stories of your brothers and sisters in Christ?